195628 Psychosocial, cultural, and environmental predictors of tobacco use among Asian Americans in Maryland

Tuesday, November 10, 2009: 8:30 AM

Sunmin Lee, ScD, MPH , Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, MD
Jamie Kimberly Lok, BS, CHES , Department of Public and Community Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, MD
Eva Sharma, BS , Department of Public and Community Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, MD
Ying Wang, MA , Department of Sociology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Rajiv Ulpe, MDS , Department of Public and Community Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, MD
Olivia Carter-Pokras, PhD , Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, MD
Background: Few data exist that thoroughly examine smoking behaviors of Asian American (AA) subgroups in Maryland. Existing survey data on tobacco use among aggregated AAs in Maryland are too general and lack specificity.

Objective: To investigate cultural, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing tobacco use among four major AA communities in Maryland.

Methods: Four focus groups (total of 43 participants) were conducted in Asian Indian, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese communities to collect qualitative data on cultural, psychosocial, and environmental factors that influence tobacco use behaviors. Recommendations for the development of community-specific smoking cessation programs were discussed. We used MAXQDA to code emergent themes and analyze data.

Results: Social smoking was described as an essential cultural component among all communities. There was a remarkable pattern of gender differences, where smoking among females was perceived to be a stigma. Military participation and war significantly influenced smoking behavior in Korean and Vietnamese communities. The knowledge and use of other tobacco products such as bidis and hookahs was more prevalent among Asian Indians and younger generations. In the Chinese community, respondents revealed the significance of cigarettes as a tradition and status symbol. In general, participants were unaware of available smoking cessation programs through the state or other providers. Most smokers in these communities did not seek external help for smoking cessation and preferred quitting independently.

Recommendations: Community- and faith-based organizations and other community specific media were recommended as ideal communication channels. Participants suggested future smoking cessation programs be more linguistically appropriate and culturally sensitive.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of the session, participants will be able to: 1. Describe cultural and environmental context of tobacco use in AA communities. 2. Explain potential barriers for AA to access smoking cessation resources. 3. Discuss recommendations for culturally appropriate cessation programming.

Keywords: Smoking, Asian Americans

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I planned study, collected & analyzed data, and wrote a manuscript.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.